The present invention relates in general to packaging, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for packaging and shipping large objects such as household appliances, rolls of paper, carpet, race cars, boats and the like in a transparent container without the use of heat shrink materials.
Recently, industries are requiring that their manufactured objects be visible during shipping. If any damage has occurred to the object, such damage would be immediately visible. Also, it has been determined that when the object is visible in the packaging, more care is given to the object being shipped and less damage, in fact, occurs.
Industries are also requiring that the shipping containers have a reduced amount of packaging material in order to comply with other types of loading devices which do not crush under the shrinking plastic. Prior art references include U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,862,911; 5,701,999; 5,307,928; 5,289,969; 5,277,310; 4,919,263; 4,811,840; 4,226,327; 3,891,086; 3,835,986; 3,581,458 and 3,522,688. While the prior art packages allow the object to be seen, any attempt to physically examine the object within the container requires the destruction of the plastic covering.
Still another requirement is that if damage has occurred to the object, it is important to be able to gain access to the object without destruction of the entire package. Shrink wrap packages and cardboard packaging material are typically destroyed when entry into the package is attempted.
Accordingly, it is desired to have a method for making a shipping container which protects objects during shipping, uses a minimal amount of packaging material, allows the object to be visible, and which further allows access to the object without destruction of the shipping container.
It would be also desirable to provide a see-through shipping container which is capable of being temporarily removed from the object and replaced on the object without destruction of the container.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an economical method for providing a transparent shipping container that is easily adapted to automatic packaging systems.
It is a further object to provide an improved method for packing objects which allows the objects to be readily handled by forklift, trucks and the like.
It is a further object to provide a method for packaging objects using a container which is economically constructed from a minimum number of components.
It is a further object to provide an improved method for packaging of heavy articles such as kitchen appliances and the like.
It is another object to provide an improved method for packaging objects which allows the object in the shipping container to be physically examined after having been packaged in the shipping container without destruction of the shipping container and to be repackaged in the same shipping container.
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for packaging an object in a shipping container. The container has a base for receiving the article and a plurality of corner posts connected to the base. Each post has a first end affixed to a portion of the base and a second, opposed end in a spaced apart relationship to the base. A flexible material is positioned over the base and corner posts. It is preferred that the flexible material is translucent or transparent. The flexible material is capable of being removed from the base and corner posts without being torn or destroyed. The object being shipped is placed on the base and within the flexible material. A removable top is positioned over the flexible material.
The present invention also relates to a method for removably storing an object in a shipping container without destruction of the shipping container. The method includes securing a plurality of corner posts to a base. The object to be shipped is positioned on the base/corner posts component. The corner posts are then positioned adjacent the corners of the object. The object/base/corner posts assembly or component is placed in a flexible material having an open end and a closed end. In a preferred method, the object/base/corner posts assembly or component is dropped or slideably placed into the open end of the flexible material. The flexible material is a non-heat shrink plastic transparent or translucent material. Thereafter, a removable top is secured to the flexible material and the base/corner posts assembly by at least one securing means. The securing means is removable to allow the flexible material to be slideably removed from the corner posts to allow access to the object.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a review of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings.